Topics: Jack Grealish, England, UEFA Nations League
Jack Grealish owes one of his England teammates a tidy sum after he scored for the Three Lions in their latest Nations League clash.
Lee Carsley's side recorded a relatively straightforward 3-1 win against Finland on Sunday night as goals from Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Declan Rice sealed an important three points.
Having suffered a surprise defeat to league leaders Greece on Thursday, it was a much-needed morale boost for England, who now sit second in Group F with three wins from a possible four.
In terms of on-field action, Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold produced arguably the best moment of the night.
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The 26-year-old, who was deployed in an unfamiliar left-back role at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, curled in a wonderful free-kick from 25 yards to give his side a two-goal cushion.
Not many expected the ball to rustle into the back of net, including England teammate Jack Grealish. In fact, the Manchester City midfielder admitted that Trent's free-kick cost him £500.
Speaking in his post-match interview with ITV, Grealish revealed: “I said, as a joke, if you score this I’ll give you five hundred quid – and he just slapped it in the top bin. I owe him,” he said.
Grealish also backed interim manager Lee Carsley after he came under fire for his tactics against Greece.
To the surprise of many, Carsley decided against replacing the injured Harry Kane with an out-and-out striker for Thursday night's Nations League clash at Wembley.
Instead of starting with Ollie Watkins or Dominic Solanke, he used three attacking midfielders – Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, while Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon provided width.
Carsley, meanwhile, was full of praise for Grealish after Sunday's full-time whistle.
"Jack was outstanding. It was a shame he missed the Greece game. I thought he would've been effective. Jack was very good and he's an infectious character, really pleased with him," he told ITV.
"We were looking for a reaction and this is only four games into it so I've still not quite worked out how the team respond to setbacks. They've responded in the best way tonight. Scored three good goals but disappointed to concede at the end."
Carsley added: "But we can still be better. I've not really thought much about it. I keep saying the same thing. My remit was six games and I'm happy with that. This is a privileged position. I'm really enjoying it but I didn't enjoy the last two days.
"I'm not used to losing in an England team, I don't take losing well. People are always going to try and put their chips on one side. I'm in the middle. My bosses have made it clear what they need from me. This job deserves a world class coach who has won trophies and I am still on the path to that."
